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Reinventing the reservation

About an hour and a half north of Omaha, The Winnebago are trying to shed one of the highest unemployment rates in the state and improve education. So we went there to see how they're reinventing the reservation.

Updated: 9:05 AM CST Nov 4, 2013

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Reinventing the reservation

About an hour and a half north of Omaha, The Winnebago are trying to shed one of the highest unemployment rates in the state and improve education. So we went there to see how they're reinventing the reservation.

Updated: 9:05 AM CST Nov 4, 2013

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Reinventing the reservation

About an hour and a half north of Omaha, The Winnebago are trying to shed one of the highest unemployment rates in the state and improve education. So we went there to see how they're reinventing the reservation.

Updated: 9:05 AM CST Nov 4, 2013

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WEBVTT THE NUMBERS ARE STAGGERING. 90-PERCENT UNEMPLOYMENT.. JUST AS MANY FAMILIES LIVING BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. THAT'S WHAT LIFE ON THE RESERVATION..OFTEN MEANS. BUT NOT ALWAYS. ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF NORTH OF OMAHA ... THE WINNEBAGO.. IN THURSTON COUNTY.. ARE TRYING TO SHED ONE OF THE HIGHEST UNEMPLOYMENT RATES IN THE STATE AND LOW EDUCATION. SO WE WENT THERE .. TO SEE áHOW THEY'RE RE-INVENTING THE RESERVATION. THROW OUT THE STEREOTYPE OF LIFE ON THE RESERVATION.. THE WINNEBAGO TRIBE.. IS BOUNCING BACK. ASK ANYONE.. (Don Blackbird: The undersea mutant follows the call to adventure.....) .. LIKE DON BLACKBIRD.(...Wherever danger goes the mutant follows.) HE áWENT TO WINNEBAGO'S SAINT(uh-GUS-tin) AUGUSTINE MISSION SCHOOL. NOW HE'S THE PRINCIPAL. TIMES HAVE CHANGED.(Don Blackbird/Principal: I used to sit on this hilltop out here and there was nothing out here.)(and now there's this bustling little redeveloped community across the street.) AND JUST UP THE STREET.. áTHIS.. WILL SOON BE AN "EDUCARE" FACILITY. THE FIRST.. TO BE BUILT ON A RESERVATION. A TEN MILLION DOLLAR PRE-SCHOOL AND DAYCARE.. BACKED BY SUSIE BUFFETT'S EARLY CHILDHOOD FUND. (Fr. Dave Korth: They can close the gap between the haves and the have nots in regards to their early childhood development.) FATHER DAVE KORTH .. DIRECTOR OF ST.AUGUSTINE'S.. AND PRIEST TO SEVERAL RESERVATION COMMUNITIES.. CALLS IT A "GAME CHANGER"... NOT ONLY FOR THE KIDS.. BUT FOR THE FAMILIES. FAMILIES USED TO STRUGGLING.. WHO NOW SEE THE INVESTMENT.. GIVING THEIR FUTURE A SHOT.(Fr. Dave Korth: It's amazing what employment does for a person in terms of seeing hope.) EDUCATION IS ONLY áONE REASON.. HOPE IS BACK. BACK IN '92 THE WINNEBAGO OPENED "WINNAVEGAS CASINO".. IT'S BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL.. THE CASINO'S NOW EXPANDED INTO A RESORT. BUT THE TRIBE'S NOT ONLY RESORTING ON áTHIS MONEY.. THEY'RE COVERING THEIR ECONOMIC BETS. ENTER "HO- CHUNK" INCORPORATED. "HO-CHUNK".. IS THE ORIGINAL NAME OF THE WINNEBAGO.. TRANSLATED ROUGHLY..AS "PEOPLE OF THE BIG VOICE". WITH 34- SUBSIDIARIES..HO-CHUNK, INC.. IS MAKING A STATEMENT. FOUNDED BY NATIVE SON... LANCE MORGAN...IT PROVIDES JOBS IN PRODUCTION..DISTRIBUTION.. SALES.. .. AND EVEN JUST OPENED THIS BUILDING áOFF THE RESERVATION ... IN BELLEVUE. THEY DO A LOT OF CONTRACT WORK ON NEARBY OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE. YET ANOTHER WIN..FOR THE WINNEBAGO. THEY'RE TRYING TO BUCK THE TREND. 26-PERCENT OF NATIVE AMERICANS LIVE BELOW THE POVERTY LINE .. MORE THAN ANY OTHER GROUP.. DOUBLE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. IN 2003.. THE BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS PUT UNEMPLOYMENT ON THE WINNEBAGO RESERVATION AT 53-PERCENT. JUST TWO YEARS LATER.. IT DROPPED TO 39- PERCENT. SOME NOW ESTIMATE IT TO BE HALF THAT.(John Blackhawk/Winnebago Tribal Chairman: My grandfather was a hereditary chief of the tribe.) JOHN BLACKHAWK.. WINNEBAGO TRIBAL CHAIRMAN.. CREDITS THE TRIBE'S SUCCESS.. TO LONG-TERM.. AND CONSISTENT PLANNING.(Blackhawk: Unless you do some serious planning, things don't really happen to change a lot.) AND WHILE CHANGE IS GOOD.. EVERYONE WE TALKED WITH.. WANTS TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T CROWD OUT THEIR HERITAGE. THIS PARK.. IS LOCATED IN WINNEBAGO'S GROWING "HO-CHUNK VILLAGE". A MIX OF BUSINESSES AND HOMES..WHERE PEOPLE CAN LIVE, WORK AND SHOP. IT'S IN DEMAND.. AND BY MANY NATIVES.. WHO'VE LEFT. (Blackhawk: We have more people that are coming back, or wanting to come back.We have kind of a critical housing shortage, we need about 200-homes to even come close to catching up.)(Sarah Snake: I'm selling homes, I'm buying homes...) SARAH SNAKE IS A PROPERTY AND REAL ESTATE MANAGER.(Snake: I'm proud to live here. I'm proud to say I'm a member of this community.) BUT SHE DIDN'T áALWAYS FEEL THAT WAY. NOT WHEN SHE MOVED HERE IN 19-64.. WHEN THE FEW BUSINESSES.. WERE OWNED BY áNON-NATIVES .. WHEN MANY HOUSES .. DIDN'T HAVE INDOOR PLUMBING... WHEN ALCOHOLISM WAS RAMPANT.. PEOPLE PASSED OUT ALL ALONG THE STREET.(Snake: It was really bad, you know and I remember crying and not wanting to live here.) BUT NOW.. HELPING PAINT THE WINNEBAGO'S BRIGHTER ECONOMIC PICTURE.. SARAH'S TEARS OF ANGUISH.. ARE TEARS OF JOY. (Snake: When I put those keys in their hand I swear I always shed a tear because it's a dream that I had for myself that never happened. So now I can make that possible for somebody ...) THOSE WE TALKED WITH SAY NOT ALL THE PROBLEMS ARE GONE. BUT NOW.. INSTEAD OF ASKING áCAN WE DO SOMETHING.. THEY'RE ASKING WHAT áMORE CAN WE DO? THEY'RE HAPPY TO BE ASKING THAT.